win September 2006

win@thebarn.com

4 participants
8 discussions

[wine] [jkallsen@cpinternet.com: No wine party on October 14th]

by Jim L. Ellingson

Jason, Great seeing you all at Town Talk. Welcome back to the list. Ditto Janet and Rth (!). Cheers, Jim in Duluth.... This week. Big S sale tasting is at the store, is 90 minutes, is $25, is 200 wines, is probably going to be interesting for those of you who choose to attend. ----- Forwarded message from Jason Kallsen <jkallsen(a)cpinternet.com> ----- From: "Jason Kallsen" <jkallsen(a)cpinternet.com> To: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> Subject: No wine party on October 14th Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 23:16:14 -0500 So after seeing so many good friends and tasting and drinking good wine at the Town Talk Diner, and getting a bit tipsy and deciding that October 14th sounded great for a wine party, and after having more wine and convincing myself that it's a great idea, and driving home and waking up my wonderful Angela to tell her the good news that we're having a wine party next month, I was kindly reminded we already have something planned for that night. My apologies, but no wine party at Chateau Kallsen on October 14th. I'm working on a new date, but I've learned to not open my yap until I clear it with the Boss. Take care everybody, and great to see your faces again. Jason Kallsen (Jim: Please forward this to the group; and, if you would, put me on the email list for the wine group with this email address. I'd love to sit down and taste with you again sometime in the future.) Jason Kallsen pager 612.579.9398 voice mail 952.941.8795 x 301 "We are not creatures of circumstance, we are creators of circumstance." -Benjamin Disraeli ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

19 years, 2 months

[wine] napa jack's

by Annette Stadelman

Hi, This is an invitation to Napa Jack's Grand Opening party this Thurs. from 5-9. (Maybe a good pre-dinner event?) It's like no other store in the Twin Cities. There will be a walk around tasting with several distributors. Location: 4200 Minnetonka Blvd St. Louis Park Just east of Hwy 100 (toward Lake Calhoun) across from Starbucks. 5 min. from Uptown. Jim, I will be there pouring later in the evening so I'm out for Thursday dinner. Annette Stadelman Phillips Wine and Spirits 651-637-3351

19 years, 2 months

[wine] Red/White Burgundy at Ursula's - September 21st 6:30 p.m.

by jhegstrom＠csom.umn.edu

Kurt Hegland, owner of Ursula's Wine Bar in White Bear Lake, has put together a fabulous pre-fix menu for the group to go along with red burgundy. Cost of the meal is $55 including tax and tip. The reservation has been limited to 12 guests who must all be partaking in the special dinner (no ordering off of the menu, please). Oxtail Consomme with Gnocchi Pomegranite & Pine Nut Salad Fettuccini with Garlic, Herbs & Jumbo Shrimp Hanger Steak with Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts Chocolate Fondant with Ice Cream If the count is less than 12 I need to let Kurt know by 4:00 on Tuesday, September 19th. I will be taking reservations on a first-come first served basis, so I am requesting firm counts. Additionally, I will be off-line on Thursday (9/21) due to a work commitment if you need to cancel. Ursula's Wine Bar 2125 4th Street White Bear Lake, MN Ursula's is one block west of Highway 61 on Fourth Street. (Across Hwyt 61 from the downtown area) Bubbles

19 years, 2 months

[wine] Domestic Wine at Town Talk

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Our last meal at Oddfellows was excellent. I don't know that the Bull Dog will be up to the Hanger Steak w/ Bernaise sauce we al enjoyed. We had a lot of fun w/ "Rustic" so this week's "stic" is "Domestic". This week, Rhone style grapes/wines at Town Talk Diner. Thanks to Warren for setting it up. TOWN TALK DINER, 2707 1/2 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, 612.722.1312; www.towntalkdiner.com. Yes/Guess: Bob Betsy Lori Warren/Ruth Chris Bill Jim Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) - Cite This Source new! do.mes.tic. /d..m.st.k/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[duh-mes-tik] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation .adjective 1. of or pertaining to the home, the household, household affairs, or the family: domestic pleasures. 2. devoted to home life or household affairs. 3. tame; domesticated. 4. of or pertaining to one's own or a particular country as apart from other countries: domestic trade. 5. indigenous to or produced or made within one's own country; not foreign; native: domestic goods. .noun 6. a hired household servant. 7. something produced or manufactured in one's own country. 8. domestics, household items made of cloth, as sheets, towels, and tablecloths. Roget's New Millennium. Thesaurus - Cite This Source new! Main Entry: domestic Part of Speech: adjective 1 Definition: household Synonyms: calm, devoted, domesticated, domiciliary, family, home, home-loving, homelike, , housewifely, indoor, pet, private, sedentary, settled, stay-at-home, subdued, submissive, tame, trained, tranquil, wifely Antonyms: office, professional, public Notes: a domestic animal is a pet; a domesticated animal is a formerly wild animal bred for human use Note2: a domestic wine is from the US. A domesticated wine is quite probably from the southern hemisphere or eastern Europe. Main Entry: domestic Part of Speech: adjective 2 Definition: not foreign Synonyms: civil, community, home-grown, homemade, indigenous, inland, internal, intestine, intramural, municipal, national, native Antonyms: alien, foreign, imported Main Entry: domestic Part of Speech: noun Definition: servant Synonyms: chambermaid, char, charwoman, cleaning lady, cleaning woman, daily maid, help, houseboy, live-in, maid, man, peon, serf, servant, slave, woman Source: Roget's New Millennium. Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1) Copyright � 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved. ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:48:15 -0400 (EDT) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: Memorable Muscadet From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Monday, Sept. 11, 2006 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB All-time Most Popular Winery Is Back! Join today, mention The Wine Advisor, and get three bottles for the price of two! http://www.cawineclub.com/store/Membership_Types___Premier_ClubPremier_TMS ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * MEMORABLE MUSCADET Austere and mineral-driven, the subtle wines of Muscadet S�vre et Maine lie at an opposite pole from fruit-forward blockbusters. I love them. * DOMAINE DE LA PEPI�RE 2005 MUSCADET S�VRE ET MAINE SUR LIE ($9.99) Chalky minerality, fresh fruit and mouth-watering acidity win applause for this basic Muscadet from Marc Ollivier, one of my top wine values of the year at this price. * CLOS DES BRIORDS 2005 MUSCADET S�VRE ET MAINE SUR LIE ($12.99) Intriguing aromas, full flavors and lovely Loire minerality from Ollivier, and all for just $3 more. * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB All-time Most Popular Winery Is Back! Join today, mention The Wine Advisor, and get three bottles for the price of two! * TOUR AND POLL Which French wine region would you like to visit with me? * THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM Matching wine and wings, reviewing new releases and seeking value from the Southern Rhone. In our forums, we're talking about how to run a memorable wine bar and get E-mail responses back from wineries. * LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor archives. * Administrivia Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ MEMORABLE MUSCADET Close to the opposite pole from the fruit-forward blockbuster wines that draw so much critical acclaim, we find the subtle, mineral-driven wines of Muscadet S�vre et Maine. Have I mentioned that I love them? It has only been about a year since I last sung the praises of Muscadet, so I'll refer you to the Nov. 5, 2005 Wine Advisor for more specifics. Today, let's just hit a few bullet-point factoids, then jump straight to the tasting notes for two very fine Muscadets from a first-rate producer that, in the $10-$12 range, ring the bell for outstanding wine value. * Muscadet comes from the Nantais region, where the Loire River meets the Atlantic. It's a seafaring and fishing region, so it's no coincidence that the wines make a natural match with seafood and fish. * S�vre and Maine, tributaries of the Loire, run through the middle of the wine region on the south bank of the river across from the city of Nantes. The "S�vre and Maine" designation is significant, as wine labeled just-plain "Muscadet" is sourced from a broader region and may not offer the same subtle complexity. * In contrast with the Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc varieties that dominate the Upper Loire, Muscadet is made from Melon ("May-lawN"), a less-familiar grape that's said to have its roots in Burgundy. * Many of the most interesting Muscadets add the term "Sur Lie" ("on the lees") on the label, indicating that the young wine was left to age on its yeast sediment ("lees"), a traditional process that adds flavor and complexity to the wine. Bring together two or more Loire-heads, and you'll almost certainly soon hear an admiring reference to MARC OLLIVIER, one of the most highly regarded Muscadet growers and producers. His vineyards lie over granite, imparting exceptional minerality even for Muscadet, and he makes his wines the old-fashioned way, not hurrying the sur lie process for the sake of cash flow. ________________________________________________________________________ DOMAINE DE LA PEPI�RE 2005 MUSCADET S�VRE ET MAINE SUR LIE ($9.99) Mark Ollivier's basic Muscadet bottling shows a transparent pale straw color; a few bubbles line the glass. Subtle and delicate aromas focus on pure white fruit and "crushed seashells," a characteristic of fine Muscadet. Mouth-filling, dry and tart, delicate citrus, lemon-lime, ripples over a base of chalky minerality, finishing clean and long. (Sept. 8, 2006) ________________________________________________________________________ CLOS DES BRIORDS 2005 MUSCADET S�VRE ET MAINE SUR LIE ($12.99) Made from a single vineyard of 75-year-old Melon vines grown on deep topsoil over granite, this is a brilliant straw color. Intriguing aromas begin with melon and lime, opening up to stones and shells, then complex, earthy nuances of ripe Camembert and wool with time in the glass. Full flavors follow the nose, limey fruit and earthy grace notes, white fruit and chalk in a very long finish. A remarkable wine, and one that will gain from cellar time. (Sept. 8, 2006) ________________________________________________________________________ The following comments apply to both Ollivier wines: FOOD MATCH: Shellfish is the classic pairing for Muscadet, and fine, fresh oysters on the half-shell may be the ultimate match. We had no complaints with an Asian-accented stir-fry of fresh, sweet sea scallops and snow peas. VALUE: Both these wines will surely make my annual "Best QPR" lists at these prices. WHEN TO DRINK: The basic Pepi�re is best drunk up young, and its synthetic cork underscores that advice: Enjoy it this year. The Briords is fine now, but will gain complexity and richness with cellar time, even a decade or more under pristine storage conditions. PRONUNCIATION: Ollivier = "Ohl-leev-yay" Muscadet S�vre et Maine = "Moos-cah-day Sev'r eh Mehn" Sur Lie = "Soor Lee" IMPORTER, WEB LINKS: Both these wines are imported by LDM Wines Inc., NYC; Louis/Dressner Selections, which has a fact sheet about Marc Ollivier and his wines at this link: http://www.louisdressner.com/Ollivier/ FIND THESE WINES ONLINE: Both these wines are available from Chambers Street Wines in New York City, one of my favorite shops anywhere for unusual and intriguing wines of value. (This is not an advertisement, simply an expression of pleasure from a satisfied consumer.) To browse their portfolio, click https://www.chambersstwines.com/ To find other vendors and check prices for Marc Ollivier's Muscadets on Wine-Searcher.com, click: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Ollivier%2bMuscadet/-/-/USD/A?referring_s… ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE: To read and comment on today's column in our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group, click: http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=3359 Today's article is cross-posted in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where we also welcome comments and questions. http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4781 To contact me by E-mail, write wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or other wireless device. http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print060911.html ________________________________________________________________________ THE CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB: ALL-TIME MOST POPULAR WINERY IS BACK! A few years ago The California Wine Club featured the tiny and new KitFox Vineyards from Stanislaus County. This award-winning micro- winery went on to become The California Wine Club's most popular selling winery. Members couldn't get enough of their delicious wine and now, KitFox is back! This month's selection from KitFox Vineyards is just $32.95 plus shipping and includes: 2003 Foxy "California" Red Table Wine � Gold Medal, Best Of Class Decadent and luxurious, a silky blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with aromas of cherry pie and dried cranberries. 2004 Foxy "California" White Table Wine � 86 pts. Wine Spectator Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay dominate this blend with an exotic mix of flavors, from baked pears to lemon to vanilla sorbet. To join the club and make your first shipment these two award-winning wines from KitFox, visit http://www.cawineclub.com/store/Membership_Types___Premier_ClubPremier_TMS You may also call 1-800-777-4443. Mention today's Wine Advisor and we'll give you three bottles for the price of two in your first shipment. Or save up to 30 percent on case reorders, just $10.50 per bottle. Visit our wine store at http://www.cawineclub.com/store/Wine_Store___Recent_Selections?Args= or call 1-800-777-4443 to order. EDITOR'S NOTE: By happy coincidence, I ran into KitFox owner Hunter Vogel at a tasting in Louisville last week and had the pleasure of tasting the "Foxy" red and white with him. California Wine Club's tasting reports above are right on target: These wines are fresh, open and easy to enjoy, real crowd-pleasers. I found the white particularly interesting in its aroma complexity, with intriguing aromatics contributed by the Viognier and Orange Muscat that make up small components of the blend. ________________________________________________________________________ TOUR AND POLL: WHICH FRENCH WINE REGION WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT WITH ME? This week's online poll features only French choices for a simple reason: After taking 2006 off in hope that the Euro and the dollar might come back into better balance, we're planning to organize another wines- of-France tour in 2007 with our good friends at French Wine Explorers, and I would like to know where in France you would most like to go if you were able to join us. To cast your ballot, click http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4780 While most of our past French tours have been close to the luxury level, featuring top-tier accommodations and starred restaurants, we're contemplating a shift in perspective that would continue providing VIP, insider tours of the selected region's excellent wineries, but accomplish this on a bit of a budget - a QPR tour, if you will - surrounding the winery tours with quality but affordable accommodations and dining experiences that reflect the region's cuisine with both quality and value. Even with the strong Euro, we're planning to hold the total cost of the weeklong tour, exclusive of air fare, under $2,995, which I hope would open it up to some of you who've been hesitant to budget the higher costs of our past tours. To help us in planning, let's start with this simple poll, to help us sample the level of interest in specific French wine regions. Then, if you think you'd like to participate personally in such a tour next spring or summer, I invite you to contact me by E-mail at wine(a)wineloverspage.com and let me know. There's absolutely no commitment, but if you think there's even a chance that you might be interested, let me know, and I'll put you on a list for personal notification. And regardless of the likelihood that you'll join us, I hope you'll vote in the poll. Again, click http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4780 ________________________________________________________________________ THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM Some highlights of recent articles on WineLoversPage.com that I hope you'll enjoy: * VINO 101: Wine and wings Most people think of beer with spicy chicken wings, but a self-confident server should be able to sell wine with them, advises Jorge Castillo. http://www.wineloverspage.com/vino101/wings.phtml * BUCKO'S WINE REPORTS: Late Summer 2006 Releases This is a wonderful time of the year, when reds, whites and pinks all work equally well. Randy "Bucko" Buckner reviews 100 wines in his monthly new-releases report. http://www.wineloverspage.com/bucko/bucko0906.phtml * QPRWINES: 2001, 2002 and 2003 Southern Rhone Comparing these disparate vintages by critical ratings scores in relation to price, the 2003 vintage boasts 12 "Great Value" ratings, while the more traditional 2001 vintage has only four. Not surprisingly, no wines from the rainy, flooded 2002 vintage reached "Great Value" status. Neil Monnens' QPRwines provides reports on 279 Southern Rhones. http://www.wineloverspage.com/qpr/qprwines.phtml * HOT TOPICS IN OUR WINELOVERS DISCUSSION GROUPS Our WineLovers' Discussion Groups are the best places online to ask wine questions and participate in the civil and intelligent discussion of good things to eat and drink. Our WineLovers Discussion Group (WLDG) is the Internet's original wine forum, a non-commercial venue intended for wine-related conversations that range from apprentice-level to wine professionals. Our WineLovers Community on the Netscape/CompuServe service is dedicated to wine education, a friendly place to get quick answers to your questions about wine, beer, spirits and all good things to drink. HOW TO MAKE A WINE BAR HUM A wine bar has 112 wines on sale, but business is slow. On our CompuServe forum, we're offering some advice and tips on how to run an operation that wine enthusiasts will love. Join in with your suggestions here: http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4779 IDLE COMPLAINT - RESPONSE FROM WINERIES You visit a winery Website, click a link to ask an E-mail question, and nobody replies. Ever. How irritating is that? Read the discussion and tell us about your experiences (or if you're a winery owner, tell us how you handle E-mail): http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=3308 ________________________________________________________________________ LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns: * Italian goodies (Sept. 8, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060908.phtml * Vintage - Avoid generalizations (Sept. 6, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060906.phtml * Wine Focus - Chile vs. CalCab (Sept. 4, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060904.phtml * Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Celeriac remoulade (Sept. 7, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tsfl060907.phtml * Wine Advisor Foodletter archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/foodlist.phtml ________________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/ * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml CONTACT US E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ________________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36d12e… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Monday, September 11, 2006 Copyright 2006 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

19 years, 2 months

[wine] WSJ.com - The Price of Pinot Noir's Success

by Betsy.Kremser＠co.anoka.mn.us

*Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified. You have received the following link from Betsy.Kremser(a)co.anoka.mn.us ******************** If you are having trouble with any of the links in this message, or if the URL's are not appearing as links, please follow the instructions at the bottom of this email. Title: WSJ.com - The Price of Pinot Noir's Success This article will be available to non-subscribers of the Online Journal for up to seven days after it is e-mailed. Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to access the sent link: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMail… Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to SAVE THIS link: http://www.savethis.clickability.com/st/saveThisPopupApp?clickMap=saveFromE… Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to forward this link: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=forward&etMailT… ******************** Email pages from any Web site you visit - add the EMAIL THIS button to your browser, copy and paste the following into your Web browser: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=browserButtons&…" ********************* Instructions: ----------------------------------------- If your e-mail program doesn't recognize Web addresses: 1. With your mouse, highlight the Web Address above. Be sure to highlight the entire Web address, even if it spans more than one line in your email. 2. Select Copy from the Edit menu at the top of your screen. 3. Launch your Web browser. 4. Paste the address into your Web browser by selecting Paste from the Edit menu. 5. Click Go or press Enter or Return on your keyboard. ********************

19 years, 2 months

[wine] Rustic Wines at Oddfellows Tonight! (last chance)

by Jim L. Ellingson

Bob's made the reservation for 8 people. I have 4 confirmed... The building has been sold (probaby for YAC, Yet Another Condo Cluster.) and Oddfellows/Boom will close for good on Saturday. Bob suggested "Rustic" wines. I didn't find much of use in the dictionary.... Here are some synonyms: Arcadian, agrarian, agricultural, , austere, bucolic, charming, countrified, , homespun, homey, honest, natural, outland, pastoral, picturesque, , pleasing, primitive, provincial, rural, , sylvan, unaffected, unpolished, unrefined, unsophisticated, verdant ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 11:32:13 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: Zin? at Oddfellows? Ruth suggested Oddfellows. I see we haven't been there since March, and vin du jour was Zinfandel. Style is certainly open to suggestion, as is the venue. Bob's stuck in depositions, so we most likely will not have confirmation on this until tonight/tomorrow. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 13:43:32 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Zins at Oddfellows Greetings, Zins at Oddfellows. Thursday. 6:30. Oddfellows is one block east of Surdyks on Hennepin. These are mostly guesses. Tables are small, so make the reservation for two more than we expect? (These are mostly guesses. certainly room for more.) Ruth Betsy Bob Jim Nicolai Karin Russ/Sue Dave Joyce Cheers, Jim September 6, 2006 Wines of The Times The Risk-Free Pleasures of $10 Bottles By ERIC ASIMOV DON.T you get tired of those well-padded wine lovers reminiscing about the case of .61 Latour they picked up for $6.50 a bottle 40 years ago? It.s almost as annoying as the investment banker bragging about the brownstone he bought for a song back in 1980, or the fellow who fell upon a few acres in Napa way back when. These days, $6.50 or even $10 is not likely to win you decades of bragging rights. But it can still earn you a satisfying bottle of wine; more than a few, in fact, judging by a recent tasting of wines that cost $10 and under. This is especially welcome news as summer comes to a close and vacation bills start to roll in. Sit down with your checkbook and a glass of wine. While the wine may not take the sting out of your shrinking bank account, it helps to know that one hand won.t be robbing the other. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Chris Goodhart, the wine director of Balthazar in SoHo, and Byron Bates, the general manager and wine director of Bette in Chelsea. We sampled 24 bottles, 12 white and 12 red, and the wines we liked confirmed our impression that the world.s wine shops hold a trove of inexpensive bottles that not only offer outstanding value but are highly enjoyable as well. The problem is that while a river of good cheap wine is out there, you may have to wade through an ocean of bad cheap wine to find it. Let me qualify that. Bad wine, as in spoiled, turned or foul, is largely a thing of the past. Technology and increased knowledge have liberated wine drinkers from those awful bottles of old. As with so many agricultural products, flaws nowadays stem from mass production and a lack of character rather than contamination and spoilage. Bad wine in 2006 tends to mean bottles that are insipid, vapid and lifeless, and to wines with elements out of whack . too oaky, too alcoholic, too flabby, too too. Nobody should be willing to settle for wine that is merely innocuous. In an age that practically demands that we esteem the self, don.t we deserve better than that? Of course we do. At a minimum, even for $10 and under, a wine ought to taste fresh and lively. It should have personality and a point of view. It must have something to say in the glass. Is that asking too much? Take our No. 1 white wine, for example, a 2005 gr�ner veltliner from E & M Berger in the Kremstal region of Austria. This $10 bottle . that.s $10 for a liter . was fresh and expressive, with citrus, floral and mineral flavors that linger in the mouth. It practically invites you to have a second glass. Is it the best gr�ner veltliner that you will find? Of course not. This wine doesn.t have the pronounced peppery quality that is typical of a really good gr�ner veltliner, nor is it complex. But it is refreshing, and it makes a definite case for its place on the table. So does our No. 2 white wine, a 2004 Saint-V�ran from Domaine Delaye. It, too, had a pronounced freshness, like one of those cartoon pies sitting on a windowsill, where the aroma rises up, snatches you by the nose and pulls you in. It.s a chardonnay, but without the oak trimmings. Simply a crisp, clean, modest wine that doesn.t intrude with pretensions. In a similar tasting last year, the white wine category was dominated by sauvignon blancs. We had fewer in the tasting this year, and only one made our top five, a balanced, inviting 2005 Pascual Toso from Mendoza in Argentina. Even so, I think sauvignon blanc . from France, New Zealand, South America, South Africa . remains a reliable area to explore in this price range. The pungent personality of the grape shines through, and the wines often have a force that is too often lacking otherwise. Another approach is to look for wines made from unusual, offbeat grapes, like our No. 3 white, a 2004 from Cusumano in Sicily that goes by the proprietary name Angimb�. This wine is 70 percent insolia, an obscure Sicilian grape, and 30 percent chardonnay. It had a rich texture and the sort of exotic coconut and tropical fruit character that reminded me of a white Rioja. Inexpensive white wines have an advantage over their red counterparts. As with a mass-market lager beer, if you serve a white wine cold enough, it will at least quench a thirst. Red wines can.t hide in the ice bucket, though truth be told, a slight chill can enhance many reds. Our No. 1 red wine is the 2004 Perrin R�serve C�tes-du-Rh�ne, from the family that owns Ch�teau de Beaucastel, the esteemed Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape. Humble C�tes-du-Rh�ne used to be the house wine in countless Paris cafes and bistros, until it got too expensive. But this $9 one recalls the honest character of many of those wines, with its dark, earthy fruit flavors and lively acidity. By comparison, the 2005 Robert Mondavi Private Selection pinot noir is a surprise as our No. 2 red wine. Pinot noir is hard to produce cheaply, yet here.s a $9 bottle that.s not bad at all. In fact it.s quite pleasing, with a light texture and straightforward raspberry and anise flavors, and it.s dry on the palate. Inexpensive Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon is thought to be an oxymoron, but the 2002 Pavilion cabernet was a real eye-opener at $10, dry with dark fruit flavors supported by light tannins. It.s the kind of wine that you don.t see every year, but when the supply of grapes is greater than the demand, you can sometimes find deals like this. Spain and Italy remain superb sources for inexpensive bottles. Valpolicella was once a synonym for bad cheap wine, but the appellation has rebounded in the last decade, and the 2004 Allegrini Classico shows archetypal dried cherry and earth flavors. The last red had us all guessing Beaujolais, but it was a Spanish wine, a 2004 tempranillo from Bodegas Gormaz in Ribera del Duero, lightly fruity with mineral flavors. While 24 bottles is a small slice of the inexpensive wine market, the percentage of wines that we liked was high enough to warrant experimentation. The risk is not high, and if you find a wine you like, who knows, maybe you too will have a story to live on for years to come. Tasting Report: Lively, Fresh Flavors at Painless Prices WHITES E & M Berger Austria Kremstal Gr�ner Veltliner 2005 1 liter $10 *** Crisp, clean and fresh with distinct floral, citrus and mineral flavors. (Importer: Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.) Domaine Delaye France Saint-V�ran Les Pierres Grises 2004 $10 **� Grassy and floral with a lively, inviting texture. (Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.) Cusumano Sicily Angimb� 2004 $10 **� Nutlike, almost coconut aroma, with rich texture and unusual tropical fruit flavors. (Vin Divino, Chicago) Pascual Toso Argentina Mendoza Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $9 ** Crisp, lively and refreshing. (TGIC Importers, Woodland Hills, Calif.) Cuevas de Castillo Spain Rueda Con Class 2004 $10 ** Grassy, almost musky aroma with lingering mineral flavors; serve well chilled. (European Cellars, Charlotte, N.C.) REDS Perrin R�serve C�tes-du-Rh�ne 2004 $9 **� Direct, balanced and refreshing with aromas of earth, raspberries and dark fruit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala.) Robert Mondavi Private Selection Central Coast Pinot Noir 2005 $9 ** Straightforward and balanced with flavors of raspberry and anise. Allegrini Valpolicella Classico 2004 $10 ** Dry and lively with cherry and earth flavors and a nice bitter edge.(Winebow, New York) Pavilion Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $10 ** Dry and lightly tannic with berry and plum flavors. Bodegas Gormaz Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2004 $8 ** Earthy and direct, with clear fruit and mineral flavors. (Classical Wines, Seattle) ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

19 years, 2 months

[wine] Zin? at Oddfellows?

by Jim L. Ellingson

Ruth suggested Oddfellows. I see we haven't been there since March, and vin du jour was Zinfandel. Style is certainly open to suggestion, as is the venue. Bob's stuck in depositions, so we most likely will not have confirmation on this until tonight/tomorrow. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 13:43:32 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Zins at Oddfellows Greetings, Zins at Oddfellows. Thursday. 6:30. Oddfellows is one block east of Surdyks on Hennepin. These are mostly guesses. Tables are small, so make the reservation for two more than we expect? (These are mostly guesses. certainly room for more.) Ruth Betsy Bob Nicolai Karin Russ/Sue Jim Dave Bill Joyce Cheers, Jim September 6, 2006 Wines of The Times The Risk-Free Pleasures of $10 Bottles By ERIC ASIMOV DON.T you get tired of those well-padded wine lovers reminiscing about the case of .61 Latour they picked up for $6.50 a bottle 40 years ago? It.s almost as annoying as the investment banker bragging about the brownstone he bought for a song back in 1980, or the fellow who fell upon a few acres in Napa way back when. These days, $6.50 or even $10 is not likely to win you decades of bragging rights. But it can still earn you a satisfying bottle of wine; more than a few, in fact, judging by a recent tasting of wines that cost $10 and under. This is especially welcome news as summer comes to a close and vacation bills start to roll in. Sit down with your checkbook and a glass of wine. While the wine may not take the sting out of your shrinking bank account, it helps to know that one hand won.t be robbing the other. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Chris Goodhart, the wine director of Balthazar in SoHo, and Byron Bates, the general manager and wine director of Bette in Chelsea. We sampled 24 bottles, 12 white and 12 red, and the wines we liked confirmed our impression that the world.s wine shops hold a trove of inexpensive bottles that not only offer outstanding value but are highly enjoyable as well. The problem is that while a river of good cheap wine is out there, you may have to wade through an ocean of bad cheap wine to find it. Let me qualify that. Bad wine, as in spoiled, turned or foul, is largely a thing of the past. Technology and increased knowledge have liberated wine drinkers from those awful bottles of old. As with so many agricultural products, flaws nowadays stem from mass production and a lack of character rather than contamination and spoilage. Bad wine in 2006 tends to mean bottles that are insipid, vapid and lifeless, and to wines with elements out of whack . too oaky, too alcoholic, too flabby, too too. Nobody should be willing to settle for wine that is merely innocuous. In an age that practically demands that we esteem the self, don.t we deserve better than that? Of course we do. At a minimum, even for $10 and under, a wine ought to taste fresh and lively. It should have personality and a point of view. It must have something to say in the glass. Is that asking too much? Take our No. 1 white wine, for example, a 2005 gr�ner veltliner from E & M Berger in the Kremstal region of Austria. This $10 bottle . that.s $10 for a liter . was fresh and expressive, with citrus, floral and mineral flavors that linger in the mouth. It practically invites you to have a second glass. Is it the best gr�ner veltliner that you will find? Of course not. This wine doesn.t have the pronounced peppery quality that is typical of a really good gr�ner veltliner, nor is it complex. But it is refreshing, and it makes a definite case for its place on the table. So does our No. 2 white wine, a 2004 Saint-V�ran from Domaine Delaye. It, too, had a pronounced freshness, like one of those cartoon pies sitting on a windowsill, where the aroma rises up, snatches you by the nose and pulls you in. It.s a chardonnay, but without the oak trimmings. Simply a crisp, clean, modest wine that doesn.t intrude with pretensions. In a similar tasting last year, the white wine category was dominated by sauvignon blancs. We had fewer in the tasting this year, and only one made our top five, a balanced, inviting 2005 Pascual Toso from Mendoza in Argentina. Even so, I think sauvignon blanc . from France, New Zealand, South America, South Africa . remains a reliable area to explore in this price range. The pungent personality of the grape shines through, and the wines often have a force that is too often lacking otherwise. Another approach is to look for wines made from unusual, offbeat grapes, like our No. 3 white, a 2004 from Cusumano in Sicily that goes by the proprietary name Angimb�. This wine is 70 percent insolia, an obscure Sicilian grape, and 30 percent chardonnay. It had a rich texture and the sort of exotic coconut and tropical fruit character that reminded me of a white Rioja. Inexpensive white wines have an advantage over their red counterparts. As with a mass-market lager beer, if you serve a white wine cold enough, it will at least quench a thirst. Red wines can.t hide in the ice bucket, though truth be told, a slight chill can enhance many reds. Our No. 1 red wine is the 2004 Perrin R�serve C�tes-du-Rh�ne, from the family that owns Ch�teau de Beaucastel, the esteemed Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape. Humble C�tes-du-Rh�ne used to be the house wine in countless Paris cafes and bistros, until it got too expensive. But this $9 one recalls the honest character of many of those wines, with its dark, earthy fruit flavors and lively acidity. By comparison, the 2005 Robert Mondavi Private Selection pinot noir is a surprise as our No. 2 red wine. Pinot noir is hard to produce cheaply, yet here.s a $9 bottle that.s not bad at all. In fact it.s quite pleasing, with a light texture and straightforward raspberry and anise flavors, and it.s dry on the palate. Inexpensive Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon is thought to be an oxymoron, but the 2002 Pavilion cabernet was a real eye-opener at $10, dry with dark fruit flavors supported by light tannins. It.s the kind of wine that you don.t see every year, but when the supply of grapes is greater than the demand, you can sometimes find deals like this. Spain and Italy remain superb sources for inexpensive bottles. Valpolicella was once a synonym for bad cheap wine, but the appellation has rebounded in the last decade, and the 2004 Allegrini Classico shows archetypal dried cherry and earth flavors. The last red had us all guessing Beaujolais, but it was a Spanish wine, a 2004 tempranillo from Bodegas Gormaz in Ribera del Duero, lightly fruity with mineral flavors. While 24 bottles is a small slice of the inexpensive wine market, the percentage of wines that we liked was high enough to warrant experimentation. The risk is not high, and if you find a wine you like, who knows, maybe you too will have a story to live on for years to come. Tasting Report: Lively, Fresh Flavors at Painless Prices WHITES E & M Berger Austria Kremstal Gr�ner Veltliner 2005 1 liter $10 *** Crisp, clean and fresh with distinct floral, citrus and mineral flavors. (Importer: Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.) Domaine Delaye France Saint-V�ran Les Pierres Grises 2004 $10 **� Grassy and floral with a lively, inviting texture. (Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.) Cusumano Sicily Angimb� 2004 $10 **� Nutlike, almost coconut aroma, with rich texture and unusual tropical fruit flavors. (Vin Divino, Chicago) Pascual Toso Argentina Mendoza Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $9 ** Crisp, lively and refreshing. (TGIC Importers, Woodland Hills, Calif.) Cuevas de Castillo Spain Rueda Con Class 2004 $10 ** Grassy, almost musky aroma with lingering mineral flavors; serve well chilled. (European Cellars, Charlotte, N.C.) REDS Perrin R�serve C�tes-du-Rh�ne 2004 $9 **� Direct, balanced and refreshing with aromas of earth, raspberries and dark fruit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala.) Robert Mondavi Private Selection Central Coast Pinot Noir 2005 $9 ** Straightforward and balanced with flavors of raspberry and anise. Allegrini Valpolicella Classico 2004 $10 ** Dry and lively with cherry and earth flavors and a nice bitter edge.(Winebow, New York) Pavilion Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $10 ** Dry and lightly tannic with berry and plum flavors. Bodegas Gormaz Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2004 $8 ** Earthy and direct, with clear fruit and mineral flavors. (Classical Wines, Seattle)

19 years, 3 months

[wine] Meeting this week?

by Jim L. Ellingson

Are we meeting this week? Many thanks to Ruth and Warren for a very relazing evening. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 12:29:08 -0400 (EDT) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: Wine Focus - Chile vs. CalCab From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Monday, Sept. 4, 2006 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB *WINE SALE* Going On Now! Save up to 70 percent during The California Wine Club's Wine Sale Cornucopia! http://www.cawineclub.com/?Partner_ID=winelovers ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * WINE FOCUS - CHILE VS. CALCAB If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Cabernet Sauvignon may be the most flattered of wine grapes. We're focusing on California and Chile in our forums this month. * LOS VASCOS 2004 COLCHAGUA CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($9.99) This Chilean Cabernet from the makers of Ch. Lafite-Rotschild may bear some resemblance to Bordeaux, but not a first-growth. * LIBERTY SCHOOL 2004 PASO ROBLES CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($12.99) Crowd- pleasing Cabernet in the New World style, fruit-forward and sweet with a whack of oak. * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB *WINE SALE* Going On Now! Save up to 70 percent during The California Wine Club's Wine Sale Cornucopia! * THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM Reports on a Swiss wine maker in Paso Robles, and wine plus art in Santa Ynez. On our forums we're talking Cabernet, exchanging tips on under-$20 values and comparing Chile's and California's renditions. * LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor archives. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ WINE FOCUS - CHILE VS. CALCAB If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Cabernet Sauvignon may be the most flattered of wine grapes. As the leading variety in Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon for centuries has battled Burgundy's Pinot Noir, with few other contenders, for the title of most respected red wine grape. But it's only in recent years that Pinot has been grown with much success outside its native region; while Cabernet's fanciers have spread its production around the world's temperate zones for generations, growing it with great success in California, Australia, South Africa, South America and beyond. Grown with care on appropriate soils in a properly cool climate, nurtured in the vineyard to produce reasonable but not excessive yields, Cabernet Sauvignon makes serious, structured, complex and ageworthy wine. On the other hand, to be honest, if it's harvested under-ripe it can be lean, mean and tannic, reeking of green peppers or even green beans. Cabernet can also be greedily overcropped and mass-produced, soaked in oak to conceal its flaws, yielding an embarrassing rendition that may bear Cabernet's name but doesn't boast much of Cabernet's character. Then there's the question: To blend or not to blend. Bordeaux is rarely all-Cabernet Sauvignon, usually adding Merlot and Cabernet Franc and sometimes Petit Verdot and Malbec to the mix; in some parts of the region, particularly St.-Emilion and Pomerol and their Right Bank neighbors, it may take second or third place in the blend behind Merlot and Cab Franc. Even in the U.S., which all but invented 100 percent varietal Cabernet, there's a growing tendency to mix Cabernet Sauvignon into Bordeaux-style or even more idiosyncratic blends (some of the former labeled with the trademarked "Meritage"); and under current federal law, even a wine labeled simply "Cabernet" may contain up to 25 percent of other varieties. Indeed, as splendid as Cabernet can be, some might argue that it's best rounded out with other varieties in a blend. So many Cabernet-producing regions, so many styles, so many price points. Does any region outside Bordeaux produce a "benchmark" Cabernet? Must one invest in high-end Bordeaux or "cult" Napa Cabernets to sample the best? These are some questions we hope to address in our interactive forums this month, as we narrow our Wine Focus for September to a geographical look at the Cabernets of two New World wine regions: California and Chile. Value is the focus in our CompuServe/Netscape WineLovers Community, where the "Wine of the Month" feature will seek out "California and Chilean Cabernet for $20 or less." In our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group (WLDG), September's Wine Focus program invites you to compare and contrast Chilean and California Cabernet Sauvignon at any price level, from bargain-basement to high-end collectible. Please feel welcome to participate in both forums with your questions, comments and tasting notes; you needn't be a wine expert to take active part in these friendly, civil online communities. Today, let's open the discussion with a quick side-by-side look at two modestly priced 2004 Cabernets, one from Chile's Colchagua Valley, the other from California's Paso Robles on the Central Coast. As the month goes by, we'll hope to establish whether these wines are typical of what their growing regions and price points have to offer. Both wines are made for immediate enjoyment, and both went well with a dish made for Cabernet, lamb braised with fennel. ________________________________________________________________________ LOS VASCOS 2004 COLCHAGUA CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($9.99) Back in the late 1980s, the proprietors of Bordeaux's Domaines Barons de Rothschild, producers of first-growth Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, joined with California's Chalone to purchase this already respected Chilean producer, pledging to upgrade and modernize its facilities. As it turned out, high-end Rothschild continues to position Los Vascos ("The Basques") as an "affordable" wine made in significant quantities, more than 3 million bottles per year. Very dark ruby in color with reddish- orange glints, an initial high-toned whiff of volatile acidity blows off to reveal more characteristic Cabernet aromas of black fruit with fresh herbs - tarragon and oregano. Flavors follow the nose, lean and rather austere, good acidity and soft tannins. There's a definite French accent here in a wine with Bordeaux-like character, but frankly, it's like a rather low-end generic Bordeaux. U.S. importer: Pasternak Wine Imports, Harrison, N.Y. (Sept. 2, 2006) WEB LINK: Domaines Barons de Rothschild has a Los Vascos page here: http://www.lafite.com/en/php/vins/7_2_1.php?id_chateau=43 FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Find vendors and check prices for Los Vascos 2004 Colchagua Cabernet Sauvignon on Wine-Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Vascos%2bCabernet/2004/-/USD/A?referring_… ________________________________________________________________________ LIBERTY SCHOOL 2004 PASO ROBLES CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($12.99) Very dark reddish-purple, clear garnet edge. Blackberries and blueberries, ripe and fruit-forward. Juicy and fresh, sweet berry fruit and a whiff of vanilla; appropriate acidity provides necessary structure. Oak becomes quite apparent with a distinct dill-pickle note that seems to increase with time in the glass. Easy drinking, New World style, but I'm not sure the varietal character is there to nail it as Cabernet Sauvignon in a blind tasting. For many years, Liberty School was a second label for Napa's respected Caymus Vineyards, but in 1997 the brand was sold to Chuck and Marlyn Hope, who had been grape growers for Liberty School in Paso Robles, and who now make it as a second label behind their more pricey Treana brand. (Sept. 2, 2006) WEB LINK: This Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon fact sheet on the Treana Website includes a link to an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file with further information about the wine. http://www.treana.com/ourwinescabernet.php FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Find vendors and check prices for Liberty School 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon on Wine-Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Liberty%2bSchool%2bCabernet/2004/-/USD/A?… ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE: To read and comment on today's column in our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group, click: http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=3198 Today's article is cross-posted in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where we also welcome comments and questions. http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4765 To contact me by E-mail, write wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or other wireless device. http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print060904.html ________________________________________________________________________ THE CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB: *WINE SALE* GOING ON NOW! Save up to 70 percent during The California Wine Club's Wine Sale Cornucopia! We are clearing out our cellar and making room for the upcoming holiday season, which means every wine is on sale, including wines from our upper-level club and international selections. Stock up for the holidays, reorder a favorite or try something new. Visit www.cawineclub.com to select from a wide variety of award-winning, limited production wines. As always, every wine is 100% guaranteed. Call 1-800-777-4443 or visit www.cawineclub.com to order. Be sure to check out our Closeouts! With wines as low as $6.50 per bottle, you're sure to find something special for you. Sale ends Sept. 30, 2006. Half, full and mixed cases okay. All prices F.O.B. Ventura CA. ________________________________________________________________________ THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM Some highlights of recent articles on WineLoversPage.com that I hope you'll enjoy: * SCHAEFER ON WINE: Swiss movement When Swiss businessman Hans Nef first came to Paso Robles, he liked what he saw. His first venture into winemaking soon followed,Dennis Schaefer reports. http://www.wineloverspage.com/schaefer/swiss06.phtml * REPORTS FROM OUR READERS: Wine ... and art The limited-production wines of Artiste in Santa Ynez are inspired by the impressionist painters in Giverny. Here's reader Willy Pickett's report, with photos. http://wineloverspage.com/articles/serendipity/index.php?/archives/14-Artis… * HOT TOPICS IN OUR WINELOVERS DISCUSSION GROUPS Our WineLovers' Discussion Groups are the best places online to ask wine questions and participate in the civil and intelligent discussion of good things to eat and drink. Our WineLovers Discussion Group (WLDG) is the Internet's original wine forum, a non-commercial venue intended for wine-related conversations that range from apprentice-level to wine professionals. Our WineLovers Community on the Netscape/CompuServe service is dedicated to wine education, a friendly place to get quick answers to your questions about wine, beer, spirits and all good things to drink. POLL: SHOOTOUT - WHICH CABERNET? Let's start off this month's Wine Focus topic with an up-or-down vote: Considering these two choices only, and assuming similar vintage and similar retail price, do you prefer Chilean or California Cabernet Sauvignon? http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4764 FAVORITE UNDER-$20 "GO-TO" CABERNET SAUVIGNON Riffing off the Wine Focus competition, our WineLovers Discussion Group members are comparing tips on their favorite lower-end Cabernets. Start a shopping list, or add your own recommendations, in this discussion: http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=2768 ________________________________________________________________________ LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns: * Offbeat grape - Kerner (Sept. 1, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060901.phtml * Revisiting old friends (Aug. 30, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060830.phtml * Does tasting environment matter? (Aug. 28, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060828.phtml * Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Modifying recipes (Aug. 31, 2006) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tsfl060831.phtml * Wine Advisor Foodletter archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/foodlist.phtml ________________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/ * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml CONTACT US E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ________________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36d12e… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Monday, September 4, 2006 Copyright 2006 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

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